Grinding-mill.



R. A. REYNOLDS.

v GRINDING MILL. APPLIOATION lFILED JAN. ze. 1912,.

1,0463019.' v 'Patented Deo.. 3, 1912.

N v' L w WITNESSES. I@ ffm/4% INVENTOR R. A. REYNOLDS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

wvl/z GRINDING MILL. APPLICATION FILED JAN.26. 1912.

mul-ll 1 O46 O l 9 WIT/VESSJLS,

ROBERT A. REYNOLDS, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

- seminare-MILL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

Application filed January 26, 1912. Serial No. 673,602.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of'Wayne, State of. Michigan, have invented a certain new and, useful Improvementin Grinding-Mills, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled*l in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, referance being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

'This invent-ion relates to grinding mills and has for its object novel means for lquickly separating the grinding disks and also adjustable means for limiting the approach of the grinding disks to each other. This lat-ter means operates in connection with a non-rotatable member, so as to avoid all friction.

In the drawings: Figure 1, is an elevat-ion of the grinding mill partly in section. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section of the emergencyA means for separat-ing the disks, showing the means that limits the approach of the disks to each other. Fig. 3, is a longitudinal sect-ion of the emergency means 'for spacing the grinding disks, showing the meanst-urned to cause.the disk to separate I lfrom each ot-her. Fig..4, shows an alternative form of connecting the stub shaft with the main shaft, the bearing cages and washers being shown in section.

A, is a heavy cast.. iron base of the machine from which rise the journal bearings B and C, formed by the pillow blocks?) and c. Each'is provided with a cap plate, the pillow block Y) with a cap plated and the pillow block c with acapv plate e. The cover plate d is provided withan oblique-ly setthreaded bore 1, in which engages the set screw 2 to effect a purpose -hereinafter described.

At one end of the base A, the casting forms an insheathing casing F, to which access may be had through the hole closed by the cover plate 3. Fastened to the cover late 3 is the hopper 4, in which engages the vertical feed screw 5 that is held in position in the bearings G and 7. This feed sorewvisdriven b v a counter shaft S thrmigh a pair of worm gears 9 and 9a. A pulley wheel 10 on the end of the shafty is driven by the belt 11 from the main shaft. The

" mainshaft 12 is supported by the journalbearings B and C, above described, and enters the.casing F at its center. It carries on its interior end, the grinder-head 13 upon which can be screwed a grinding disk 14. The feed screw 15 is fitted on a project- Iing stud portion 16 of the main shaft 12 and serves to draw the grain 'in between the disks where it is thrown over the disk surfaces by centrifugal force. The grind-l ing disk 17 is screwed, or otherwise fastened to the cover plate 3, so as to be in registering position. with the companion disk 14.

This grinding millis of the typel known as the single head mill, in which the grinding disk 17 is a stationary disk, While the grinding disk 14. is a revolving disk. The disk 14 is revolved at approximately twice the speed that the two disks are revolved in a double heady grinding mill, so that approximately the same results are accomplished so far as the speed of the stones is concerned.

The main shaft 12 is arranged to slide lengthwise its bearings and is provided between the journal-bearings B and C with a driving pulley 18, upon which a belt connected with some source of power may be placed.

In Figs. 2 and 3, I have shown more in detail the parts of my emergency means for separating the disks. As it frequently happens that foreign things such as stones, are drawn in between the disks and tend to strip the ribs 'of the disks, it is imperative that some means for quickly releasing the disks 'be provided, otherwise harm would come to the grinding disks. To effect this purpose, I provide the following means 18, is a bushing within the bearing A, intervening between the bearing and the main shaft 12. At the end of the main shaft 12 are a number of rings or bearing cages 19, in which are arranged the ball-bearings 20, that serve as thrust bearings. posed between the bearing cages and the main shaft 12 and between the bearing cages and the annular flange 22 of the slidinL' stub shaft 23. These washers, also, 1ntei'vene vbetween the cages of cach set of bearings. The. annular flange 22 is in realitv a buffer, and will be so designated for clear-ness. It has an offset portie-nor key 24 that engages in the key way 25 of the cover cap d, so that the stub shaft ashers 21 are inter- 100 is held from rotative movement, but allowed to slide lengthwise of ,the key way 25. A collar 26 integral with thev sleeve 27, that engages about the stub shaft 23, serves as a stop for the strong spiral spring 28 which is confinedbetween this collar 26 and the buffer 22. The compression of this spring is regulated by a threaded sleeve 29 that is threaded through the cap plate`30, which,in turn7 is held to the bearing A and the cover plate D by screws 31. A lock nut 40 holds the threaded sleeve from undesired turning. A knurled circular head or hand-wheel i 32, integral with the threaded sleeve 29, af-

it`will be seen,

-fords means by which the sleeve may be turned, so as to'project the collar 26 inward, or allow it to approach closer to the end by reason of the spring-expansion. This,

readily adjusts the compression of the --spiral spring 28 and conse `quentl forded to themain shaft 1 2. The cam-faced ring 35 is squared on to the stub shaft 23,

whichis'at that point reducedin diameter and "squareinfcross section. Opposite this ring, `is a second ring with an opposedy cam face and on the shaft between these'two cam-faced'rings, is a bushing 34 upon which tu-rns the lever 36, having a ring terminal A nut 38 is threadedinto theend of the stub shaft 23 and holds the cam-faced rings and the lever terminal together.

When it is desired to separate the grinding disks, the lever 36 is given a quick turn downward to such a position as shown in Fig. 3. This brings the widened portion of the ring terminal 37 between the narrowed 4 port-ions of the cam-faced rings, as show n in Fig. 3. This, of course, forces the ring 35 outward and hence pulls the stub shaft 33 with it, thereby, also bringing the main shaft with it by reason of a connection therewith. This connection consists either of an extension 24:a of the offset portion or key 24 (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) which engagesy in the annular race 24h on the main shaft 12, or (as shown in Fig. 4, an alternative form) a spindle extending from the i center of the stub shaft 23 through the center opening of the bearing' cages 19 and enters a center bore of the main shaft 12. The spindle 50 has an annular'race 51 into which the pins or set screws :7B-driven through the shaft 12 may project so that the shafts are connected together for endwise movementv but .not for rotative movement. Therefore,

when the stubr shaft 23 is drawn outward by j the lever andcamefaced rings, the grinding disks ltvand l7vseparate, as shown in Fig. 3, so as toI give space enough 4to avoid 1njury from any Vforeign material.

v,It often-happens that the grain in the hopper suddenly gives out, so that there is @no more to be fed-'to the grinding disks and,

`inasmuch as the shaft 12 is under a strong' y Vthe yieldable pressure that is af# pressure, amounting, in the type of grinder that I use, to about three hundred (300) pounds expansion in the spiral spring 23, it is urgent that some means for stopping the approach of the two disksto each other be. 7'@n provided; otherwise, when the grain is exhausted, if the operator is not wary, the disks will come together while lone is stationary and the other revolving at a high speed and they will strip each other. To avoid this, I provide the obliquely disposed'A setfscrew 2 that projects down into the key" way 25 and stops the movement of the buf-- ferv 22 by ergaging against the offset portion or key 24, the groove 2a being formed in the key extension 24a so that this set-screw may be turned into it." The location of this set screw in connection with the buffer is quite important, as it will be noted that 'it engages wi th a non-rotatable -member so that there if no friction as .would be the case were the set screw to engagewith the end of the feed screw 15, or the sh aft 12 in which case,-`i't would he likely to wear a holein the end ofthese members o n account of the ver' high rateV o f'revolution of the shaftl2. Bysdisposing the feed screw 5. inline with the direction of feed, any-.Straw or other fibrous material that may be accidentally introduced into the hopper is forced forward into the grinder instead of being wound about the feed screw and clogging the feed. i IVhat I claim is i 1. In a grinding mill, the combination of a grinding disk, a second grinding disk, a shaft for driving the latter slidable lengthwise, a nonrotatable and slidable buffer for forcing the shaft lengthwise, a stub shaft fastened to the bulfer, a spring for yieldingly forcing the buffer, a set screw for liiniting the range through which the bu-:fer functions, `and a threaded sleeve and a collar about the stub shaft for confining the spring at the end opposite the buffer and for ad- 110 just-ing the Atension of the spring, substantially as described..

2. In a grinding mill, the combination. of a grinding disk, a second grinding disk, a shaft for driving the latter slidablell lengthwise, aw'stub shaft terminating in an annular ilange or buffer provided with an oEset portionwor key engaging a key-way, the said butter being adapted to resiliently force the main shaft lengthwise, andhaving a non-rotatable connection therewith, a spring adapted to expand against `the butler, y and means for sliding the stub shaft,`thereby, withdrawing the main shaft, and oompressing thev spring, substantially'as de'- 125 scribed. 3. In a grinding mill, the combina-tion of a grinding disk, a second grinding -`disk, a .l shaft for driving the latter slidable lengthwise, a st-ub shaft terminating in an annularflange orbuer'piovided with an offset portion or keyvengaging a key-way, the said buffer being adaptedto yieldingly force the main shaft lengthwise, and having a nonrotatable connection therewith, `a springf' f drawing'the main shaft and compressing the scribed.

spring and a set screw that can be turned to engage against the key, substantially as de- 4. Ina grinding mill, the combination of a grinding disk, asecond grinding disk, a shaft for driving the latter slidablelength-- wise, a stub shaft terminatingwith an annular flange or buffer provided with an offset portion orkey engaging in a key-way, the said buffer being adapted to yieldingly force the shaft lengthwise, and. having a nonrotatable connection therewith, a spring adapted to expand against vthe buffer, a threaded sleeve and a collar on said stub shaft adapted to support the .opposite end of the spring-and regulate its tension, means for sliding the stub shaft, and a set screw projectable toward or capable of being withdrawn from the buiferto give a variable range o f 'action for the pressure, 'subst'an- I tially as described.

A 5. 'In a grinding mill, the combina-tion of a grinding disk,asec0nd grinding disk, a

shaft for driving, e latter.. rinding disk slidable lengthwise, n inclose bearing into 'with the shaft, a spring adapted to expand against the buffer so as to resiliently force the main shaft lengthwise, means for sliding the buffer lengthwise in the bearing so as to bring the grinding disks into close proximity, or withdraw thenrfrom such position.l and a set-screw projected through the bearing to form' an adjustable limit for the buffer and hence to limit the approach of the disks to' each other, substantially ausdescribed. In testimony whereof, I, sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

. ROBERT A. REYNOLDS. Witnesses:

STUART C. BARNES, Lo'rrA Lim BRAY.4 A 

